Can I change from a “Temporary Visitor” visa to another status of residence during my stay?

"Short stay" visaIs"If you are staying within 90 days and are not engaged in activities that will earn you compensation, such as sightseeing, business, visiting friends or relatives, etc."This is the residence status permitted for.

"Commercial" means market research, business communications, business negotiations, contract signing, after-sales service for imported machinery, etc.In addition, short-term stay visas are issued for purposes such as friendly visits, sports, recreation, participation in competitions and contests as an amateur, and entrance exams for universities, etc.

If you cannot return to your home country by the expiration date of your short-term stay visa for some reason (such as an infectious disease epidemic), see this article ⇒"What is a short-term stay visa? How to extend a short-term stay visa with the new coronavirus"Please refer to.

In this column, we will discuss “From short-term visitor visa to other status of residence”ChangeCan it be done? ” Let's talk about that.

XNUMX. Can I change from a short-term visitor visa to another status of residence during my stay?

Foreigners staying in Japan with a "short-term stay" visa for sightseeing or visiting relativesAs a general rule, it is not possible to apply for a change to another status of residence (visa).
However, if you apply for the change,Inevitable special circumstances”, your application for change may be approved.

This is because a "short-term stay" visa is issued through a relatively simple examination compared to other visas, and depending on the applicant's nationality, it may be possible to come to Japan with a short-term stay visa without going through any examination. This seems to be related to the fact that foreigners planning a long-term stay are subject to strict screening upon entry.

However, while you are actually staying in Japan for a short period of time, you may not be able to apply for a work visa such as "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services".Direct change requests will not be accepted.In that case, the above-mentioned "unavoidable special circumstances" will not be recognized.
Then, in what case "Inevitable special circumstances” will be recognized and will my application to change my status of residence from “Temporary Visitor” to another status of residence be approved?

XNUMX. In what cases is a change application approved?

In the case of applying for a work visa such as "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" while staying in Japan for the "Temporary Stay" explained above, "unavoidable special circumstances" are already considered as "Special circumstances that cannot be avoided". The applicant must have been issued with a certificate of eligibility for a work visa such as ``work''.

In other words, if you want to change from a "Temporary Visitor" visa to a work visa such as "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" without returning to Japan, you can apply for a "Certificate of Eligibility" while visiting Japan on a "Temporary Visitor" visa. You can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility, receive a Certificate of Eligibility by the expiration date of your "Temporary Visitor" stay, and apply for a visa change by attaching the Certificate of Eligibility.
By using this method, you can change from a "short-term visitor" visa to another type of work visa without having to return to your home country.

So, what if you apply for a change to "spouse of a Japanese national," "spouse, etc. of a permanent resident," or "long-term resident" while in Japan for a short-term stay?
Since all of these cases fall under special circumstances, it is possible to directly change from a "temporary visitor" visa to a status-based visa such as "spouse of Japanese national" or "spouse of permanent resident." . It is much easier than changing to a working visa as explained above.
in this way,Identity visaVisas classified as "spouse of Japanese national" or "spouse of permanent resident" are more attractive than other visas not only because they have no work restrictions but also because of the application method. It can be said that there is.